


It Takes Years to Know What Love Is

by katayla



Category: Dawson's Creek
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Love Triangle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-30
Updated: 2009-06-30
Packaged: 2017-10-05 03:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katayla/pseuds/katayla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joey, Pacey and Dawson's friendship through the years</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Takes Years to Know What Love Is

**Author's Note:**

> What? I wrote _Dawson's Creek_ fanfic? How did that happen? Oh, and the title is from "Life is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz.

_Five Years Old_

There was a _boy_ in Dawson's yard. A brown haired boy, sitting on the grass, like he had every right to be there,when everyone knew it was supposed to be just Joey and Dawson. Joey marched over to him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm playing with Dawson!"

"No, _I'm_ playing with Dawson!" The boy folded his arms over his chest and glared at her.

Joey glared back. Dawson was _hers_, the one part of her life she didn't have to share with his sister or her parents or anyone else.

"Joey! You're here!" Dawson ran out his door, the screen banging shut behind him. "My mom rented _five_ movies for us."

"_Joey_?" the boy said. Now he stood up to face her. He was just the same height as her and Dawson. "That's a boy's name."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

Dawson looked nervously from Joey to the boy. "Pacey wanted to watch movies with us."

Joey laughed. "That's a silly name."

Pacey frowned. "Is not!"

"Is too!"

Now Dawson looked even more nervous, but Joey was starting to enjoy herself. She always got in trouble when she yelled at Bessie and Dawson never fought back. She smiled at Pacey. "My real name is Josephine."

Pacey tilted his head. "I guess that's a girl's name."

"I guess your name isn't that silly."

Dawson let out a deep breath. "Can we go watch movies now?"

"Okay!" And Joey ran toward the house. The boys chased her all the way up to Dawson's room.

_Ten Years Old_

"This is boring," Joey said. She and Pacey were sitting on the dock. Dawson was up in the house, putting last minute revisions on the script they were supposed to film. Dawson had finally convinced his dad to let him borrow the video camera.

"Yeah," Pacey said. He reached down into the water and splashed some on Joey.

"Hey!" Joey yelled, and splashed back.

"Oh, you're asking for it, Potter." Pacey reached over to shove her, but she was too fast for him. She leapt out of the way and Pacey, off-balance, fell into the water. Joey laughed at him, but he grabbed her ankle and pulled her in.

Joey landed face first in the world. "Pacey!" she shrieked once she surfaced. She lunged at him, and pushed him underwater.

"You're paying for that!" And Pacey tackled her back.

They were so busy dunking each other that neither noticed Dawson until he started yelling. "You're ruining the costumes!"

"They're just swimsuits," Pacey said. "They're _supposed_ to get wet." But he and Joey broke apart anyway.

"Sorry, Dawson," Joey said, as she climbed onto the deck.

"Yeah, sorry," Pacey said.

But he poked Joey in the side when he said it, and she didn't think he was sorry at all.

_Fifteen Years Old_

Dawson and Pacey had never swooned over her like that. Joey kicked at the ground as she trailed behind the two boys and Jen. She'd always prided herself on just being one of the guys, but would it _kill_ them to notice she was a girl?

Pacey didn't even _like_ Jen. He had that whole bizarre crush on Ms. Jacobs. She'd always known he'd have weird girlfriends.

But she'd always figured Dawson would have better taste in girls. He was smart and talented and should know better than to fall for some hot new blonde. Joey was the one who'd known him all his life, been there for every new Spielberg release . . . those things were _way_ more important than boobs and makeup and dresses.

Jen's giggle drifted back to her, and Joey kicked the ground harder. Probably Pacey made one of his stupid jokes. Or Dawson told her one of his stories. Joey was supposed to be the one they told those things to!

Was this what high school was like? Boys chased after the pretty ones and forgot the ones they were actually friends with? The ones who'd been by their side all along? "Boys are stupid," she muttered to herself.

Then Jen turned and said, "Come on, Joey!" Just like they were friends. Like Jen would ever really like her.

But Dawson smiled at her and Pacey gestured at her to hurry up, so Joey caught up to them and slid between Jen and Dawson.

Maybe she wasn't completely forgotten.

_Twenty Years Old_

"I got the story wrong," Dawson said.

"What?" Pacey asked. It was late, he'd had a beer or two, and he and Dawson rarely even talked anymore, let alone hung out. But he was pretty sure Dawson's statement had came out of nowhere.

"I always thought it was the standard best friends fall in love story." Dawson shook his head and scribbled something on the napkin in front of him.

Joey. Well, he wasn't drunk enough for one of _those_ conversations. Pacey rubbed his head. "Dawson . . ."

"Don't you think someone should've warned us?"

"What? Stay away from beautiful and witty brunettes?"

Dawson laughed. "Two guys, one girl . . . anyone could see that would lead to trouble."

"Well, it's all over with now," Pacey said. "Joey doesn't want either of us."

Dawson shrugged. "Story's not done yet."

"So the hero might still get the girl?"

"Question is," Dawson said, "who's the hero? Her childhood confident? Or her childhood sparring partner?"

"I think I'll bow out," Pacey said. "A guy can only take so many rejections."

"Don't be so sure. I figure we both have one or two left in us before the happy ending."

"In that case," Pacey said, raising his beer can. "Maybe the best man win."

_Twenty-Five Years Old_

"Friends forever?" Joey said.

Dawson would've thought her child-like question was the result of a night full of drinking and nostalgia, but he saw her look from him to Pacey and he _got_ it. Got it in a way that his teenage self never did. Joey was terrified of losing the people she cared about, blamed herself for everything that had ever happened between the three of them, thought she was the reason they barely talked anymore.

And the night before his mother's wedding was as good a time as any to make amends.

So Dawson smiled at Pacey and shrugged. "Friends?"

"Friends," Pacey said.

He'd always considered Pacey and Joey his closest friends, even when they weren't. He figured he always would.

No matter what happened.


End file.
